Chinese leader Xi Jinping was on 10th March endorsed by hand-picked Communist party elites for an unprecedented third term as president in a ceremonial vote at the Great Hall of the People. With this, 69-year-old Xi has emerged as China’s most dominant leader in decades, rivalling in stature the iconic Mao Zedong.
The Chinese leader received 2,952 votes, a unanimous endorsement of his presidency, at a choreographed event during the ongoing session of China’s rubber-stamp parliament –the National People’s Congress (NPC). There was no other candidate. Xi was also endorsed as the chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). Since Mao, who held the title of Chairman, Chinese leaders’ tenures had been limited to two terms. That changed five years ago.